The Prelude to an Act of Cowardice (and what came after)
by The Princess of Pain
Summary: Perhaps Peter wasn't always a coward. Perhaps he was just a victim of circumstance. Or maybe he just got sick of being belittled by his 'friends'. Snapshots of Peter Pettigrew's beginning, middle, and eventual end.


Peter is eight and his father likes to hit him. Of course, he is careful to not leave marks where others will notice. After all, his father would hate to ruin his perfect Pureblood image. His mother, a quiet and reserved woman who had been engaged to his father since she was born, tried to speak up for him and stop his father when she could. Often, she just ended up with marks matching his.

* * *

Peter is ten today and his mother is dead because of his father. She had tried to pull him away after the man had broken one of his ribs and his breathing was shallow. Father hadn't liked that and hadn't even blinked before he had his wand out and at her throat. The man he spawned from had managed to convince the Aurors who had showed up that a burglar had broken in and beat his son before murdering his wife. The self-righteous arses believed him (they hadn't even bothered to check his wand) and Peter is just trying not to cry because he's still too young to go to Hogwarts, still too young to **escape.**

* * *

Peter is 11 and a strict woman with hard lines in her face calls him to sit on the stool. He practically runs up and nearly falls on his face. Laughter surrounds him, and he flushes, embarrassed as the hat is placed on his head. The hat speaks in his mind, his voice a whisper yet somehow echoing in the deepest recesses of Peter's mind. It tells him that he is a Gryffindor in his heart but a Slytherin in his head, and he did have a choice, so which did he want to be in?

Peter's eyes flash to the quiet Slytherin table, and he sees the brokenness in their eyes that mirror his. He sees that they do not greet the other children with smiles, or happy yells. They stay silent, and the only thing that shows that they notice the new students is the way they scoot down and make room for them. It is a table full of broken children, and he turns away from them, to the Gryffindor table that is loud and joyful and practically radiating warmth.

There, they clap new students on the back with smiles so carefree it makes his heart ache. He sees the boy he sat with on the train, the Black sitting there and catches his eyes. To his surprise Black smiles, and waves at him. Peter takes a deep breath and speaks to the hat, quietly requesting that the magical being put him where he would have friends. The hat calls out his new houses name and the woman plucked it off his head, shooing him gently but firmly from the stool and calling for Potter, James as the Gryffindor table roars.

* * *

Peter is 12 and one of his best friends is a werewolf. A creature of the night. He listens to Sirius and James assure him that they would not abandon their friendship with him just because he had a "furry" problem once a month. Peter absentmindedly echoed their sentiments and resolved to go to the library tomorrow to find out more about his friends 'condition'. He finds books upon books about what monster's werewolves are and dismisses them with a flick of the wrist. Finally, he finds a book about werewolves not screaming that they are beasts, but a sickness that cannot be helped. Peter starts reading.

The book tells him everything he wanted and more. People with the affliction of Lycanthropy often detested to be around silver. They also disliked loud noises (that explained why Remus loved the library so much) and could claim non-werewolves' members of their pack. They were moodier the closer the full moon was and could not be controlled by anything but the potion Wolfbane while in wolf form. The book also cautioned that there were people who had reverted to their baser instincts, essentially giving the wolf control of their body and soul. These, the book said, are the types of wolf's wizards should fear. Peter straightened up, his back silently protesting and put the book back in its original place. Remus, Peter reflected, was a good man. He was sick, and a part of Peter feared the feral part of him, but he was his friend.

Which is why he puts silencing spells around Remus' bed and nicks Sirius' silver ring and James' armlet that he always wears. He also made sure he always had a pepper-up potion for Remus when the full moon was close. He also gave him chocolate. Just because he deserved something nice (Little did Peter know, he cemented his place as Remus' favorite friend and packmate.) and because he saw the way he drooled over it when they went to Hogsmeade.

* * *

Peter was 14 and he had finally learned what his animangus form was. It was a brilliant idea from James, that perhaps they would be able to come with Moony when he transformed if they were animals too. James had been able to transform first, becoming a breathtaking stag with large antlers. Sirius mastered it a mere week later and now sits at his feet in his dog form. Peter takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, thinking of magic moving through his body. When he opens them, he is a rat with sleek brown fur and for a second, he is proud. Then Sirius and James' laughter reaches his ears.

"A rat, Peter! Oh man do I feel bad for you!" Sirius barks, upon transforming back. Peter turns to James, silently begging his friend to stand up for him and deflates as he sees the mirth on his other friend's face. His expression darkens, but his friends take no notice as they continue to mock him (Later, he tells Remus and starts to cry on the other boy when he doesn't make fun of him. He falls asleep like that, and never knows that Remus goes to Sirius and James' beds and finds them both up with their eyes sad and apologetic because Remus was never the best at silencing charms). It is then that the first kernel of resentment appears. But Peter tries to bury it because they are his friends. He even almost manages to ignore it.

It does not last.

 _ **First part of a story I've been working on for awhile. Let me know what you thought, I live for reviews.**_

 _ **Forever alone and un-baeted,**_

 _ **Pain**_


End file.
